Gay turkish baths in istanbul
It was a cold gray afternoon in Istanbul’s Çukurcuma neighborhood
famous for both its numerous antique shops and the setting for Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk’s novel and namesake Museum of Innocence. I came to Çukurcuma to visit the Museum, only to comprehend that it was closed because it was Monday.
So I decided to step down the steep limited streets of the neighborhood and see what I could find. I passed shop after shop of antique stores, some of them shuttered behind rusty doors, others hemorrhaging hand-crafted chairs, dusty crystalware, and other items that could be found in your grandmother’s living room.
Woodsmoke puffed out of a nearby chimney, wafting seamlessly into the sky above. I walked by a petty tearoom with low chairs and tables, their patrons drinking from short glasses filled with saccharine amber tea.
At the end of the street was a hammam–a Turkish bath. It was chilly and I wanted to warm up, so I stepped in without any hesitation. The lobby was a basic wood-paneled room; a juvenile man with a compact beard sat at the desk. I paid roughly $15 for a confidential “cabin” to change into.
Before I had made it more than three steps towards
I had a list of places and things I wanted to see and do while visiting Turkey. Hagia Sofia was at the top along with the Blue Mosque. I intended to travel from Eroupe to Asia by crossing the Galata Bridge, surviving a ride in one Istanbul’s infamous taxis, avoid getting hooked by a Turkish carpet salesmen, of which I failed, and braving the Grand Bazaar. However, none of these things where as scary as going to a Hammam, which is known as a Turkish bath.
Istanbul is know for its Hammams, which is a method of cleansing and relaxation and is a vestige of the Roman baths that once dotted Europe and the Mideast. I wanted to experience this tradition but I was sorely terrified I might end up at a gay bath house and not grasp it before I had already surrendered my clothes.
My fears were allayed after asking around and doing a little research. There are Hammams that unabashedly tout themselves as queer establishments and others that are low key and cater to the queer community. Some Hammams only cater to men while others cater to both men and women and some to couples. I was looking for a straight Hammam (both in sexual orientation and services offered) so I could fully and pr
Nur Hamam – Newly renovated in October 2017, there is both an Istanbul queer hamam and sauna here. Looks just like a regular building from outside but inside is a beautiful historic bath accepted with local, younger same-sex attracted men.
Aquarius Sauna - A extremely un-friendly gay sauna in Istanbul open 24/7. While they have a jacuzzi, pool, sauna, personal cabins and cafe, there is mostly just masseurs here who pester for their service, discouraging speaking between guests and any action that’s not with them. Has so much potential but in truths is filthy and a glorified brothel.🤮
Firuzaga Bath – Popular with local hairy middle-aged men, Firuzaga Bath is a small, historic Istanbul gay hamam located only a short march from Galatasaray Square. Very cruisy, well-known location for gay men to discretely met but it’s somewhat dirty and very public.
Five Hammams in 24 Hours
A waterlogged Canadian takes a very specific tour of Istanbul.
I spent five days in Turkey a limited weeks before the referendum, wandering through the urban area under posters and monumental banners of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But at the time, I wasn’t focused on politics: I was interested in the hammams, or Turkish baths.
The history of public baths in the West stretches at least as far support as the Spartans, who first used hot stones and then coal fires to turn the exercise of leaping into ice-cold water into something a little more luxurious. Fancy so many Greek innovations, the Romans tweaked and expanded and perfected the practice. Thermae, as the bathing was known, were a secular ritual the remained at the heart of Roman culture for a thousand years.
Nowhere has that tradition survived more than in Turkey. In Istanbul, in particular, the custom of bathing blended with the grand Roman and then Ottoman tradition of great people building public works and wudu, the Islamic practice of washing before prayer, created marvelous public baths that were not only primary to the lives of those who lived there but also an crucial experience for visitors.
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